Changing the contents of physical mail based on recipient's response to electronic notification

Abstract

A method of preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer is provided including preparing a plurality of potential content members for the mail pieces; sending a first electronic file from the mailer to a service provider; sending a first communication from the service provider to an intended recipient of at least one of the mail pieces based upon the first electronic file; sending a second electronic file from the service provider to the mailer based upon a response of the intended recipient to the first communication; and selecting, by the mailer, individual ones of the content members for creation of the mail pieces based upon the second electronic file from the service provider.

1 . A method of preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer, the method comprising: 
 preparing a plurality of potential content members for the mail pieces;    sending a first electronic file from the mailer to a service provider;    sending a first communication from the service provider to an intended recipient of at least one of the mail pieces based upon the first electronic file;    sending a second electronic file from the service provider to the mailer based upon a response of the intended recipient to the first communication; and    selecting, by the mailer, individual ones of the content members for creation of the mail pieces based upon the second electronic file from the service provider.    
     
     
         2 . A method as in  claim 1  wherein the service provider comprises a mail service provider.  
     
     
         3 . A method as in  claim 1  wherein the second electronic file from the service provider comprises information from at least some of a plurality of intended recipients of the mail pieces.  
     
     
         4 . A method as in  claim 1  further comprising printing information on a content member for the mail pieces based, at least partially, upon the second electronic file from the service provider.  
     
     
         5 . A method as in  claim 1  wherein the first electronic file comprises information regarding intended content of the mail pieces.  
     
     
         6 . A method as in  claim 1  wherein the second electronic file from the service provider comprises at least some information from the first electronic file.  
     
     
         7 . A method of preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer, the method comprising: 
 receiving an electronic communication from a service provider by the mailer, wherein the electronic communication comprises information from at least one intended recipient of the mail pieces; and    configuring content to be inserted into at least one of the mail pieces based upon the electronic communication received from the service provider.    
     
     
         8 . A method as in  claim 7  wherein the service provider comprises a mail service provider.  
     
     
         9 . A method as in  claim 7  wherein configuring content comprises selecting at least one insert, from a plurality of inserts, to be inserted into the mail piece.  
     
     
         10 . A method as in  claim 7  wherein configuring content comprises printing information to be inserted into the mail piece.  
     
     
         11 . A method as in  claim 7  further comprising sending a first electronic file to a mail service provider, wherein the first electronic file comprises information regarding intended content of the mail pieces.  
     
     
         12 . A method as in  claim 11  wherein sending of the first electronic file occurs before configuring content.  
     
     
         13 . A method as in  claim 11  wherein sending of the first electronic file occurs before receiving an electronic communication from the service provider.  
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 11  wherein the service provider is a mail service provider and sending of the first electronic file comprises sending a MAIL.DAT file to the mail service provider.  
     
     
         15 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer, the system comprising: 
 a plurality of mail piece inserts for placement inside envelopes to create the mail pieces; and    a system for inserting selected ones of the mail piece inserts into the envelopes, wherein at least two of the envelopes contains different ones of the mail piece inserts based, at least partially, upon an electronic communication from a service provider, wherein the electronic communication comprises information from at least one intended recipient of the mail pieces.    
     
     
         16 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 15  wherein the service provider is a mail service provider.  
     
     
         17 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 15  wherein the electronic communication comprises information from a communication from at least one intended recipient of the mail pieces.  
     
     
         18 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 15  further comprising a system for sending a first electronic file to the service provider before receiving the electronic communication from the service provider, wherein the first electronic file comprises information regarding intended content of the mail pieces.  
     
     
         19 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer, the system comprising: 
 a system for receiving an electronic communication from a service provider by the mailer, wherein the electronic communication comprises information from at least one intended recipient of the mail pieces; and    a system for configuring content to be located inside at least one of the mail pieces based, at least partially, upon the electronic communication received from the service provider.    
     
     
         20 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  wherein the service provider comprises a mail service provider.  
     
     
         21 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  wherein the information from the at least one intended recipient comprises information regarding a response from the intended recipient based upon a first electronic file sent by the mailer to the service provider.  
     
     
         22 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  further comprising a system for changing address information of the mail pieces based upon the electronic communication received from the service provider.  
     
     
         23 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  further comprising a system for not creating a least one of the mail pieces based upon the electronic communication received from the service provider.  
     
     
         24 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  further comprising a system for sending an electronic copy of the content of at least some of the mail pieces to at least one of the intended recipients based upon the electronic communication received from the service provider.  
     
     
         25 . A system for preparing mail pieces to be mailed by a mailer as in  claim 19  further comprising a system for sending an electronic copy of the content of at least one of the mail pieces to at least one of the intended recipients before receipt of the electronic communication by the mailer.